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On February 5, the Supreme Court of Tajikistan handed down sentences to defendants in a case involving an alleged coup attempt. The accused were sentenced to lengthy prison terms of up to 27 years, Asia-Plus reported, citing sources.
The verdict was announced at the pretrial detention center of the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) of Tajikistan, where the closed-door trial was held. Among those convicted are former officials, politicians, and journalists, including an ex-foreign minister, a former chairman of the Supreme Council, and retired security officials.
According to the publication’s sources, Saiddjafar Usmonzoda, a member of parliament and former chairman of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan, and Hamrokhon Zarifi, the country’s former foreign minister, were sentenced to 27 years in prison with confiscation of property.
Shokirjon Hakimov, deputy chairman of the Social Democratic Party, and Ahmadshoh Komilzoda, former deputy chairman of the Democratic Party and a journalist, each received 18-year sentences.
Also sentenced to 18 years were Akbarshoh Iskandarov, former chairman of the Supreme Council of Tajikistan, and retired Colonel Nuramin Ganizoda. Former Foreign Ministry official Abdulfaiz Atoi was given a 17-year prison term.
Additionally, journalist Rukhshona Hakimova was sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of treason. She had remained free before the verdict due to having two young children but was arrested in the courtroom after the sentence was announced.
As Asia-Plus reported, Hakimova’s case is linked to her survey on «China’s influence in Tajikistan,» which was previously answered by some of the convicted individuals, including Saiddjafar Usmonzoda and Hakimova’s uncle, Shokirjon Hakimov.
The first hearing in the coup attempt case took place on November 14. At that session, the court rejected a defense motion to hold the trial in an open courtroom. The defense insisted on a public hearing, but the judge ruled to continue proceedings behind closed doors at the detention center.
Tajik authorities have not disclosed details of the trial, citing the classified nature of the case. Relatives of the defendants have also stated they have no information about the legal proceedings.
Previously, Tajikistan’s Prosecutor General, Yusuf Rahmon, said that Zarifi, Iskandarov, Komilzoda, and Hakimov had been «in close contact» with Saiddjafar Usmonzoda, who was arrested in June 2024 on charges of attempting to seize power by force.
